Anyone He Wants
by zerophelia
Summary: For the longest time, Lucy Heartfilia was sure there was nothing she would change about her life. Yet, when her last hope for love fails her, Lucy finds the answer to her dilemma might just lie with her playboy roommate and best friend, Natsu Dragneel: the man who can get any woman he wants. But why doesn't he want her? M for Language.
1. She Wouldn't Change A Thing

**Anyone He Wants**

* * *

For the longest time, Lucy Heartfilia was sure there was nothing she would change about her life. Yet, when her last hope for love fails her, Lucy finds the answer to her dilemma might just lie with her playboy roommate and best friend, Natsu Dragneel: the man who can get any woman he wants. But why doesn't he want her?

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

She Wouldn't Change a Thing

* * *

"Alright, that's a wrap for today. Great job, Lucy!" Robert, editor of Sorcerer's Weekly, and Lucy's boss, called from the table where he watches the shoot.

"Amazing job, Lucy! You were so cooool!" The photographer screamed as he removed the camera from around his neck.

"Thanks Jason. I hope those shots turn out well!" She gave the slightly-older man a thumbs up before grabbing a moist towel to wipe off some of the oil they used to give her body that shiny glow.

Lucy loved how amazing she looked in bikini shots, enjoying the way the spotlights reflected in her long blonde hair and gave her chocolate brown eyes a golden glow. Bikinis always managed to do justice to her long, creamy legs, her flat stomach, and her large breasts. When she saw those photos lining magazine racks, she couldn't help but gage the reactions of the men who wanted to sleep with her and the women who wanted to be her. Just thinking about it boosted her confidence.

The blonde covered herself with a robe before making her way through the studio to her dressing room. When she was younger, the shy english nerd who was Lucy Heartfilia would never believe she would turn out as a model for Sorcerer's Weekly. Younger Lucy longed to be that beautiful, but could never imagine putting herself on display in such a fashion. In her high school years, Lucy would rather stay in, read a good book or write her own stories than go out and flaunt her body. Honestly, those things never changed. She was still an english nerd, or rather, an english major at Fairy Tail University. She loved literature and wished she could share her own stories with the world; but, if someone wanted to pay her for looking hot, who was she to say no? This was just one of the many reasons Lucy loved her life.

As Lucy turned to the hall that held her dressing room, she spotted two of the other reasons waiting by her door.

"Hey Natsu, Gray. I just need to shower real quick, then we can head to dinner."

"Sounds good, Lucy." Gray answered, not bothering to look up from his phone.

"Hurry up, Luce. I'm starvin'." Natsu blurted, earning a punch in the face from the other male.

Lucy had known these two practically all her life. They had met in middle school, quickly becoming friends, and the trio hasn't been separated since. Gray was tall with pale skin, ink black hair, and dark blue eyes. On the other hand, Natsu had a sun-kissed complexion with unruly pink locks and eyes a deep onyx reminiscent of a fire's last burning embers. Where Gray was cool and icy, Natsu was warm and colorful. One thing was for sure, both boys were toned like gods and _damn hot_.

The three of them were seniors this year at FTU, and thanked their lucky stars they had all managed to stay together this long. These two idiots were Lucy's best friends and she wouldn't change a thing about them. Sure, Gray had some weird stripping habit and Natsu was the biggest womanizer on campus, but it all made being with them that much more fun. Moving in with Natsu at the start of college was one decision she had been sure she would regret, but it turned out to be just the opposite. She wouldn't change a thing.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she shut her dressing room door behind her, searching for a shower cap before entering the bathroom to rinse off the rest of the oil. Once she patted herself dry the blonde dressed in one of her favorite outfits: black combat boots, black knee-length socks, light pink mini-skirt, plain black tee, and a black jacket. She combed through her straight hair before dressing it up with a light pink bow, and made her way out the door.

Locking up behind her, Lucy turned around to find one of her dates was missing. Her lips turned down at the edges as she asked, "Where's Natsu?"

She and Gray started towards the building's exit as he answered, "A girl walked by, so of course that flame-brained idiot went running after her." The duo rolled their eyes at the pinkette's predictability. "There he is." Gray pointed over to the desk where the magazine's newest intern sat, laughing at what one could only guess was a lame joke Natsu just told her. The girl smiled as she wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to him. The pinkette grinned.

That grin was wiped off his face as he felt something pinch his earlobe, and soon enough he was being dragged away from the intern's desk. "What the fuck are you doing?" He protested, earning his ear back as he continued to follow the blonde who harassed him so.

"You told me to hurry up, and then you run off and find some chick to fuck?" Lucy didn't bother looking at him as she replied. This kind of behavior from Natsu was no longer surprising. "Besides, you already got her number, Dragneel. That's all you were after for today."

"You could have at least given me some dignity. Pinching my ear, really?"

Lucy just smirked. Truthfully, the playboy her friend had become after entering college was a never-ending source of entertainment to her. The blonde linked arms with her two best guys as they continued to walk down the street towards... where?

"So where are we headed tonight, boys?"

"Fire Dick over there said he's in the mood for Chinese, so we were thinking of heading to the buffet. Juvia is gonna meet us there." Gray supplied.

"Speaking of, did you finally hit that, Gray?" Lucy elbowed her friend and sent him a suggestive look. However, he maintained his straightlaced demeanor.

"Yup." He answered nonchalantly.

The blonde stopped in her tracks, causing the boys to jolt back. She unlinked herself and turned her attention to Gray, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Are you serious!? When? Give me details!"

Gray shrugged. "Not much to tell."

Natsu started cracking up. "Oh man, I swear I don't think I would ever wait a year just to sleep with a girl." He wiped a tear from his eyes. "But I guess I'm just not asexual like you, Stipper."

Natsu could push Gray's button's better than anyone. "Shut up, Flame Balls, not all men are fucking douche bags like you. I'm actually dating this girl." Lucy was now standing to the side, watching her best friends clutch each other's collars.

"Enough, guys. Let's go eat. Juvia is probably waiting." Lucy pulled them apart and continued their arm-linking.

"Besides," Natsu began, "The real question here is if Lucy's fucked her new guy yet."

The blonde's face burned red as she struggled to keep her body moving forward.

"Lucy, you're dating someone!?" Gray was shocked. It had been about a year now since Lucy had been out with a guy. "Time for you to spill details."

"Not much to tell." Lucy retorted with a smirk, causing Gray to scoff.

"His name is Hibiki Lates." Natsu blabbed. "He just transferred here from Blue Pegasus University."

"BPU, huh? I heard those guys really know how to treat a lady. Congrats, Lucy." Gray spoke.

"T-thanks," Lucy stuttered, still embarrassed. "It's nice to get all dressed up and go out on dates again."

"I'll never understand it," Gray started, "You're a pin-up model for one of the most popular magazines in the country, and yet somehow you still have a hard time getting dates. Oh, we're here." Gray slipped his arm from Lucy's as he opened the door to the Chinese buffet and made his way inside to find his girlfriend, leaving Natsu and Lucy behind.

Lucy stood still, staring blankly into space as Gray's words echoed in her ears. She was so preoccupied trying to prove him wrong that she almost missed Natsu calling her name over and over.

"Hello? Lucy Heartfilia? Anyone home?" Natsu finally stopped when brown eyes landed on his own. "Are you okay, Luce?" The typically Happy-Go-Lucky boy looked at her with a concerned expression.

Lucy's eyes wandered to the ground before meeting his again. "Yeah." She answered, forcing a smile on her lips. "I'm all good." The blonde took this moment to open the door to the restaurant and head inside.

Her pink-haired roommate watched her make her way over to the table where Gray and Juvia sat, happily starting conversation with that same smile pasted on her lips.

A large hand ran through pink locks as the student sighed. "Oh, Luce," He muttered as he pulled open the heavy glass door. 

The next morning, Lucy sat on the couch in her apartment. She was still dressed in her white and black, star-printed pyjamas, drinking her coffee and doing the crossword from the morning paper. On the table in front of her sat an empty plate sporting nothing but left behind crumbles of the pancakes and bacon she had made for breakfast on this fine Saturday morning. On the table in the kitchen sat enough bacon and pancakes to feed a small army.

Lucy loved Saturdays like this. Outside she could see the fall leaves brilliant colors as they swam around in the wind. Everything was quiet. Everyone slept in and there was nothing to distract her mind from all the ideas roaming in her head. This is when she loved to read, write, or do the crossword as she is now. It was a simple pleasure, but she enjoyed it all the same. On Saturday mornings she was not Lucy Heartfilia: the college student, Lucy Heartfilia: the bikini model, or even Lucy Heartfilia: the daughter of the wealthy business owner. She was just Lucy, and when her roommate woke up, she would be Luce.

Her peaceful silence was broken as the floorboards of Natsu's room began to creak. Ah, yes, another part of Lucy's Saturday routine. She only hopes the pancakes are still warm. The click of his bedroom door sounded, followed by the pitter patter of footsteps coming down the hall. It was clear the tiptoes were trying to be quiet, but one could hear if they were listening for it. Lucy knew it was only a matter of seconds now. Three...

Two...

One...

And...

"Oh, hello." Blast off.

Lucy lifted her head to look at the woman standing at the end of the hallway. She was around Lucy's age, thin, dressed in wrinkled, semi-professional wear. By her short, brown hair, Lucy recognized her as the intern from Sorcerer that Natsu had been flirting with the day before.

"Hello!" Lucy offered her chipper greeting with a small wave.

"Shit, his roommate really is Lucy Heartfilia." The intern's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You didn't see me yesterday when I dragged him away from you?" Lucy asked, getting up from the couch to give the woman a handshake.

"I saw a blonde, but I didn't believe him when he said it was you. I'm a huge fan!"

"Aw, thank you!" Lucy used her most bubbly persona when dealing with Natsu's conquests. "I made some breakfast if you're hungry. Pancakes and bacon." Lucy sang.

The intern looked at the food longingly before allowing herself to give in. "Would you mind?"

"Not at all!" Lucy smiled, taking a plate from the cupboard and filling it with breakfast food. "Would you like syrup? How about some orange juice?"

"Both of those sound nice, thank you." The intern watched a real-life model poured her a glass of orange juice, placing it next to her plate at the end of the kitchen's island.

"Have a seat." Lucy urged.

The intern did just that, still in shock that her date's female roommate turned out to be a model who made her breakfast. Lucy watched the woman eat, waiting for the right time to move on to phase two.

"So, what do you think about Natsu?"

The intern set her glass of OJ down, wiping her lip with a napkin before answering. "He's really charming. When he first started following me to my desk yesterday I was annoyed but that guy really knows how to talk to a woman. Not to mention, he is probably the hottest guy to ever ask me out."

"Yeah, he's a looker, ain't he?" Lucy responded with sarcastic thoughtfulness.

The intern took another bite of bacon before answering, "Oh god, yes. His body is just delicious. Not to mention how good he is in- You know, you're his roommate, you probably don't want to hear about that." The brunette was blushing bright red as she started working on her last pancake.

"Oh, don't worry. He likes to brag about that too much, if you ask me." The intern simply laughed at Lucy's statement.

The blonde took a look at her guest's plate determining if it was time to transition to phase three.

"So did he say he would call you?" Lucy inquired.

"Oh, I don't know." The intern flushed, trying to hide her smile at the thought of going out with Natsu again, "He didn't mention it, but I'm hoping so. I had a nice time with him."

"I'm sure he had a great time with you, too," Lucy smiled, continuing the conversation cheerfully, "But I really wouldn't get your hopes up."

The intern looked at Lucy to see if the blonde woman was joking, but frowned when no traces of jest were found.

"Natsu, he's not really the type of guy to date, if you know what I mean. He's got some major commitment issues. It's a shame, because I really enjoyed meeting you."

The intern was clearly upset. She placed her fork down, staring at her plate for a minute before working up the courage to look Lucy in the eyes again, "Maybe- Y-you could put in a good word for me?"

"I'll try, but Natsu's a real idiot. He doesn't like to listen to me."

The brunette woman sat up quickly, grabbing her shoes and her bag from the floor and racing out the front door before losing her composure. She reacted better than most.

When the door slammed shut, Lucy emptied the woman's plate into the garbage before yelling across the apartment, "Natsu! You can come out now, she left!"

Natsu's bedroom door flew open almost as soon as the words left her mouth, and out came the pinkette wearing nothing but socks and boxers.

"Haven't you ever heard of pyjamas, Dragneel?" Lucy questioned as she filled the plate in her hand with as much pancakes and bacon as would fit, slathering the whole surface in syrup. She rolled her eyes when warm arms encompassed her body from behind and hugged her tight.

"You are the greatest, Luce. What would I do without you?" The playboy nuzzled his nose against her neck, causing the blonde to sigh in annoyance before turning around abruptly.

"Probably starve for one thing," She answered, handing him his breakfast. "And for another, you would probably face the reality of all the girls you've rejected over the years."

Natsu ignored her and simply sat down on the same stool the intern had used, shoving fist-fulls of food into his mouth.

"You also probably would have been slapped more often. And there would be no one to save you when you choke on all that food you don't bother chewing. Seriously, Dragneel, learn some decency."

"Come on, Heartfilia, you've known me for like ten years, accept that this is who I am." Natsu replied by shoving another whole pancake in his mouth.

"You're an idiot." Lucy's face fell to her palm, head shaking in defeat.

"But I'm _your_ idiot." Natsu answered playfully, launching himself at his roommate only to knock her to the ground and reward the girl with a syrup-y kiss on the cheek.

"If you were my idiot I'd have killed you by now." Lucy pushed the boy's face away, standing to dust herself off before turning towards the hallway. A snickering Natsu remained seated on the floor. "I gotta go get ready. Levy and I are going out today."

Supporting his weight on his palms, the pinkette watched as his roommate moved down the hall to her room. From behind him a small, blue cat trots into the kitchen, exploring the cause of the noise that woke him from his morning nap. Natsu lifted one hand to scratch the feline below the chin, coaxing the animal to purr against the man's body.

"Now what should you and I do today, Happy?"

"Me-ow?"

"Good idea, buddy."

Sitting just outside a peaceful cafe, Lucy stared out into the sparkling view of Magnolia's beach painted before her eyes. The soothing melody or a wave's crash plays in the distance, bringing with them a chill breeze. From her bench on the boardwalk, Lucy sits dressed in cute and comfortable fall wear, sipping a steamy latte to keep warm, and swapping gossip with her closest gal-pal. Levy McGarden had been shy and introverted before bumping into Lucy in the library on the first day of high school. The two immediately bonded over their shared love of reading, giving birth to a beautiful lifelong friendship neither girl would trade for the world.

Recently, the sweet and celibate little Levy had finally landed herself a boyfriend, but it's the last person one would ever expect.

"I gotta say, Lev," The blonde spoke, "I know you guys had been flirting for what feels like years, but I still can't believe you fell for _Gajeel_ of all people."

As if painted by a fairy itself, a light pink dusting appeared on the other girl's cheeks. While Levy was barely five feet tall, flat chested with short blue hair that made her look like a real-life pixie, Gajeel was about 6'6" with a long, black mane and piercings on nearly every part of his body. Both were attractive in their own ways, but on paper they didn't seem like a match.

"You don't know him like I do, Lu. He may seem like a devil-may-care bad boy, but deep down he's a sweetheart- responsible, too." Levy buried her reddened face deeper in the orange scarf wrapped around her neck. "Enough about me, though. Tell me about Hibiki." The small, blue-haired girl sang each syllable of the blonde's beau's name as she teased her friend.

Lucy was caught mid-sip, shooting her friend a reluctant glance before speaking, "Things are going good. He's such a gentleman. You should see the menu prices at the restaurants he takes me to; my father would be proud." The blonde tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before continuing. "I like him a lot. I thought all guys from BPU would be Natsu-level players, but Hibiki is a really smart guy."

Levy kept her eyes on the blonde, taking note of the yearning her marron irises held on the seafoam frothing in the distance and the way her voice seemed to lack that excited spark of newfound love.

"I couldn't land a guy here for a year and the first transfer student I meet scoops me right up and showers me with affection... It's perfect. He's perfect." Lucy ignored the lump in her throat as she spoke.

"Then how come it doesn't sound perfect, Lu?" Levy carefully placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, drawing her out of her trance.

"Gray mentioned something the other day," Lucy hesitated to allow the thoughts to leave her lips, afraid of the ramifications of their admittance, "He said he doesn't get why I have such a hard time dating as a model. Think about it, Levy. Hibiki is my first actual boyfriend in over a year. Even back when I was dating, I couldn't hold a guy longer than two months, tops. So if I have the looks, what's wrong with me?"

Lucy turned to look her best friend in the eye with a pained expression. Truth be told, she felt she knew the reason none of the blonde's past relationships had worked out. However, Levy also knew that Lucy wasn't quite ready to learn that answer just yet.

"Nothing is wrong with you, Lucy. None of that worked out simply because those guys weren't right for you." The brown-eyed woman simply offered an unbelieving sigh at her friends retort. "But..." Levy traded her resigned tone for a more optimistic one, "You said yourself this guy is perfect! It's been a few weeks already, so things are bound to be better this time."

"You better be right." The model went limp, allowing her head to rest in the lap of her best friend and stare up at the sky. "It's just not fair! I wanna meet my Gajeel."

The bluenette giggled, smiling into her coffee cup as she took another sip of her hot chocolate. The two women continued their girl-talk for about a while, relishing in the beautiful view and each other's company. Lucy felt lucky to have moments like this one, and to have friends like Levy who helped quell her curse of overthinking.

That evening Lucy and Natsu sat side-by-side in the living room of their apartment, papers littering the surface of the coffee table in front of them. Lucy was all primped up and ready for a date with Hibiki when Natsu asked if his roommate could help him look over a writing assignment. While the blonde excelled in the written arts, Natsu was more of a science guy, studying chemical engineering.

So far, the process was going as any of their other interactions.

"Why didn't you take composition during your first two years like a normal person, you idiot."

"Oh, look at me, I'm Lucy Heartfilia and I'm a genius." The pinkette mocked.

"And don't you forget it!" Lucy smirked as she reached for his laptop.

"Yeah, uh-huh. I remember a certain blondie who came crying to me last semester when she was failing chemistry."

Lucy reached for the pillow beside her, knocking it into the pinkette's smirking face. "I was not failing chemistry, you dope!"

Natsu had been her best friend for most of her life, yet the two never ceased to push each other's buttons. In this way, Lucy liked to think of the pinkette as the brother she never had. Natsu drove her nuts, but when it came down to it the two cared very deeply for one another. If you messed with Lucy, you were met with Natsu's horns. If you talked bad about the playboy, you earned yourself a nice stern talk from a certain blonde.

"Okay, Luce, remind me the difference between covalent and ionic bonds then." Natsu returned the pillow to the blonde's own face.

"My mind shredded that useless information, dork!" Lucy returned the blow with a full-force pillow to the gut.

"Hey! No one calls the sex-god Natsu Dragneel a dork!" He argued.

Lucy had once been afraid living with Natsu would be a nightmare, or awkward considering how often he entertained "visitors". Three years went by and those adjectives transformed into "comfortable" or, dare she say, "homey."

"What kind of sex-god stays in doing homework on Saturday nights!?" She threw back.

"I have a system, Luce. Fridays are for fucking, Saturdays are for studying and booty calls." Natsu punctuated each his description of each night with by smacking the blonde in the head with the pillow.

"You're messing up my hair, Natsu!" The female ran her hand through her locks to straighten them out before shoving her pink-haired roommate in the shoulder. "God, you're such a pig!"

He was a pig sometimes, yes. Yet, the blonde wasn't sure she would have him any other way.

Onyx eyes flashed with an evil glint as the male readied his finger for some tickling. "Oh, is the model afraid I'm gonna mess up her hair?"

"Stop! Natsu! You're gonna wrinkle my outfit." Lucy struggled to get her words out through her laughter, trying to push the pinkette away to no avail. "Stop!" The two were lost in the throes of their tickle war, paying no attention as they slid their way off the couch and onto the floor, the pinkette landing on top of the blonde and continuing his torment with no mercy. Neither of them heard the click of their apartment door opening and closing.

"Natsu! I swear to God, if you don't stop I'll send Erza for your head!"

"Hello?" Lucy's eyes shifted to greet the upside-down image of her boyfriend sporting a very confused look. She stared at his well-dressed form, grinning and giggling as she choked out a greeting. "Hibiki! Get him off me!"

"Hey dude, just giving your girlfriend some much needed tortu- ARGH!" Lucy took advantage of Natsu's distraction to send him a swift knee to the stomach. "I call foul play, Luce!"

"And I don't give a damn." Lucy pushed the pinkette off her body and stood up with grace, straightening out her outfit before walking over to give Hibiki a kiss to the cheek, smiling up at him. "Hey, babe. Ignore that loser. Let's get going!"

Lucy took the hand of her attractive, tall, brunette beau, leading him out the door. Hibiki took one last look at Natsu, studying the pinkette's proud grin before turning away. The brunette opted to wrap his arm around the woman, pulling her in for a kiss on the head. "Come on, baby. I have a nice night planned for us."

As the door closed behind them, the pinkette walked to the fridge to grab a beer before heading back to his table full of homework. He checked his phone, only to find it blowing up with texts from various women. Natsu untwisted the small metal cap of his beverage, taking a quick sip before holding in the power button on his device. Tossing the small object to the other side of the couch, Natsu took up his laptop once again.

* * *

 **A/N:** I was reading too many Playboy!Natsu AU fics and this idea happened. I'm very excited to share this first chapter with all of you. Please review and let me know what you think; reviews inspire faster updates!


	2. He Wouldn't Change A Thing

**Anyone He Wants**

* * *

Natsu Dragneel has everything a college student could ever want. He's got crazy friends, good grades, a roommate who makes him breakfast every weekend, and girls lining up to spend the night with him. Add in his quirky feline friend, and life is perfect. In fact, there isn't a thing he would change. Is there?

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

He Wouldn't Change a Thing

* * *

"I didn't even know the Magnolia Fair was open this late in the year." Lucy voiced, taking in the familiar scene of the busy fairgrounds.

After a romantic dinner at 8Island, Hibiki surprised the brown-eyed model: blindfolding her for a car ride across town to visit the beloved Magnolia Fair. The blonde squealed with delight when the blindfold dropped and before her sat various games, vendors, and rides painted against the backdrop of autumn constellations. She located Taurus in the sky, smiling brightly at his location just above the Ferris Wheel.

"It turns out they run the fair until Halloween, but only on weekends of course. " The history major took her hand, bringing Lucy's attention back on him. "Now, I've never been here before, so you'll have to show me around. What should we do first?"

Lucy looked at the man with admiration, thankful that he would go through the trouble of planning such a wonderful surprise just for her. Her brown eyes flashed to his before leaning in to thank the transfer student with a kiss. His lips molded over hers in return, both parties relishing in the spark ignited by new love. The blonde pulled back, humming in thought before making a suggestion.

"Well, when I was in high school we would always start out on the rollercoaster." She explained.

"We?" He asked in return.

"Natsu, Gray and I. Oh, and Lisanna." Lucy answered him, barely paying attention as she looked around for the least crowded route to the rollercoaster. "Natsu hated it."

"Why is that?" Hibiki's brow furrowed as the conversation turned to the topic of her pesky male roommate. Sometimes he felt he knew more about the pink-haired casanova than he did about his girlfriend. _I suppose that's what happens when someone has been your best friend for ten years._

"Natsu gets crazy motion sick. He would throw up every time we made him ride it." Lucy answered as she pulled Hibiki off in pursuit of the coaster.

"Why would you make him go through that?"

Lucy halted, having never given the question much fault in the past. Her head cocked to the side, glossed lips pursing as she tried to think of a good reason. Her thoughts were interrupted when a pair of warm lips landed a quick peck on her own. The model's eyes refocused on the man in front of her, who quickly explained, "Sorry, you just look so cute when you think that hard. I couldn't resist."

Lucy giggled in return, causing Hibiki to trap her against the wall of the tent behind them. With the shadows as cover, he pulled her into a long, chaste kiss. His left hand reached up and stroked her cheek gently. He desperately fought to cut off all thoughts of the past and keep her in this moment. He inwardly cheered when her hands tangled in his hair, yet broke the kiss before the display reached a deeper level of intimacy.

His eyes opened, making note of the smile on her face as her eyelids lingered shut. He was about to come up with another excuse for the sudden affection when her mouth opened first.

"This brings back memories."

The brunette felt a crack open in his heart. He fought hard not to feel the disappointment that bled out. Lucy's eyes opened, but happiness fled her when she noticed the way her date's gaze lingered on the grass path below their feet. She cursed herself inwardly, making a mental note not to bring up the past anymore.

"Come on," She took up his hand once more, "Let's go ride that coaster."

* * *

It was just after 9:30 when Natsu had finished all of his homework for the weekend. The twenty-something was sprawled out on the couch with Happy asleep on his legs. On the TV across from him played reruns of Rick and Morty that he had already seen numerous times. He wasn't typically a cartoon guy, but the show appealed to his sense of comedy. Lucy never understood it, claiming the art was too phallic for her taste. He didn't get it. He had almost nodded off when a sound alarmed from his laptop, which still sat on his chest.

He inwardly cursed himself for allowing Facebook to send desktop notifications.

Natsu watched as a "new message" notification flashed on his screen. The sender was one "Selene Elizabeth" and the message read: _hey natsu! ive been calling u all nite but ur phone is off? hit me up if u wanna hang out ;)_

Onyx eyes drifted over to his phone which lay on the floor across the room, the same place he had tossed it a few hours before. Lungs contracted slowly as the pinkette released a sigh, lifting one hand to close the laptop screen and move the device off his body and onto the table less than a foot away. The opposite arm aided in pushing the student's body up, stirring the sleeping feline who meowed as he swiftly hopped down to the floor.

Natsu sat up, stretching his arms high and his legs out in a yawn. Happy rubbed up against the couch, letting out a vibrating mew as he looked up to his caretaker with large, pleading eyes.

"I guess it's dinner time, huh buddy?"

"Meow!"

"Alright, alright."

The pinkette slumped his way over to the fridge, Happy weaving in and out of his legs with each step. Upon reaching the cupboard, the human peeled open the door and removed a small can.

"Does... 'Ocean Whitefish & Tuna' sound alright?"

The cat responded by pushing himself up on his hind legs, one paw resting on Natsu's knee while the other repeated swiping motions. "M-ow!"

Natsu chuckled, removing the lid from the can and placing it directly on the floor in front of an eager Happy, who immediately pounced on his pray. The man made his way over to the fridge, poking his head inside for an easy meal. Cooking wasn't really his thing, but sometimes Lucy would have some leftovers sitting around. Of course, they never lasted long with him around.

Natsu's stomach grumbled as he stared at the empty shelf in front of him. Closing the door, his eyes trailed across the various take-out menus hung up with magnets. With his mind made up, the pinkette trudged over to the living room to retrieve his phone from the floor. The device booted up, taking its time to load the numerous notifications left waiting for him.

Nine missed calls, three of which belonged to 'Selene Coffee Shop Girl'. Twenty-three messages, of which seventeen were girls hitting him up for the night. Four others belonged his partners from a biochem group project. He scanned them quickly, whispering a quick "idiots' under his breath as he quickly picked out numerous ways their ideas for the project failed. The last two messages were from Gray, conceding that Natsu had been right about his theory pertaining to the game Persona 5, but that he was in no way admitting defeat.

Natsu cleared out a few more bullshit notifications he didn't give two tits about before finding Lucy had sent him a few snapchats. A few was an understatement, there were ten snaps waiting for him, some of which were bound to be videos, given the alert's purple color. He gave the banner a tap, allowing the app to load and bring him to his inbox.

The first was trivial, an image of Magnolia's prized restaurant 8Island with the caption "Date Night!", in the corner of the image was an emoji of a cat with heart eyes. The next was the entrance of the Magnolia Fair, with the words "surprise 3" under the image.

Natsu smiled, remembering the hundreds of times he and his friends attended the fair.

Next came the first video, a recording of Hibiki fixing his hair, Lucy's voice narrating, " _The rollercoaster didn't sit well with Hibiki's hair."_

" _Why are you recording me?"_

" _You just looked so cute."_

With the word "rollercoaster" all nostalgia left him. The pinkette gagged as he fought the memories of Lucy and Gray forcing him to ride the horrible deathtrap.

The next two snaps contained more carnival shenanigans: Hibiki winning Lucy a prize in a game and the image of a fresh funnel cake. Natsu's stomach growled again, recovered from the earlier bout of nausea. He tapped the screen to find a shot of the fair's jousting challenge, captioned with a simple, "Remember this?" which forced his lips to twitch again.

Natsu did indeed remember. Back in the summers during high school, Natsu and Gray would regularly face off in the joust. They developed quite the rivalry, and many members of carnival staff often stopped to watch and see who would win. Ultimately, the two always ended the summer in a tie, forcing Lucy to come up with some challenge as a tiebreaker.

Ten seconds of reminiscing later, the image changed. Lucy held the phone out to snap a picture of her and her boyfriend. Hibiki looked away from the camera in embarrassment while Lucy leaned over and kissed his cheek, faces both freshly painted. Hibiki sported a black Batman mask, while Lucy's face was painted to resemble Pikachu. Every year, she'd request that her face be painted like Pikachu and nine times out of ten the result was a disaster. This time, however, the artist did a great job.

Natsu found out why in the next snap: a close up of Lucy's face captioned, "They practiced for me!"

The boy couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The next image displayed a rudimentary carving on a wooden pole. There was no caption, as none was needed. Natsu knew exactly what that was. It had been five years since Lucy, Gray, and himself each carved their initials into the telephone pole of the edge of the fairground. The playboy's smile now threatened to split his face. Although slightly faded by years of weathering, their mark still remained along with their friendship. The three were still inseparable, and arguably closer now than ever before.

Below the faded letters, two more vibrant letters stood out: the initials LS that were added a year after the originals.

For a moment, Natsu was lost in a time where there was nothing he would change. Every night was carefree, just hanging out with his best buds and having a good time. No complicated pressures. No complicated emotions.

The tenth snap was the image of the Ferris Wheel, the only ride at the fair Natsu could manage to stomach. Lucy, Gray, Lisanna, and himself always ended their nights at the carnival with a ride on the Ferris Wheel, watching as the various stalls took turns going black against the dark backdrop of the field. The snap was appropriately labeled: "Memories!". Obsidian irises remained fixed on the image until the time ran out and it disappeared. The boy's smile settled into a comfortable smirk as he remembered why he turned his phone on in the first place.

Closing all his running apps, Natsu opened 'Phone', searching for the contact before hitting call. The phone began ringing when a notification alert sounded in his ear. He pulled the phone away, setting it on speaker as he tapped the banner: another snapchat from 'Luce'. The application loaded, allowing a finger to select the unseen image.

Lucy and Hibiki sat at the top of the Ferris Wheel, fireworks going off behind them as they shared a moonlit kiss.

" _Macao's Pizzeria, this is Romeo, can I take your order?"_

"Hey Romeo, it's Natsu. I'll have the usual for delivery."

" _No problem, man. Just you?"_

"Just me."

4... 3... 2... 1...

* * *

"So did you always end your trips to the fair by making out with someone on the Ferris Wheel?" Hibiki pulled back from his girlfriend, eyes half-lidded. His right hand traced invisible shapes on the bare skin of her shoulder. The blonde hummed in response, a light, contented smile stretching her lips as she worked her eyes open.

"Maybe once or twice." She teased, eyes closing again as Hibiki's lips landed against her jawline, peppering her skin with tingling kisses.

"Just how many came before me?" The brunette's hand now trailed down her shoulder blade to trace the length of her spine, his words slightly muffled against her neck. "Are you cold? Do you need your jacket back?"

"I'm fine," Lucy answered, pulling his arm around her, "But I wouldn't mind some of your body heat." She leaned her lips against his. "Don't worry. Only one other guy has ever kissed me on this Ferris Wheel."

Hibiki pulled away, taking a thoughtful glance at the stars as he pondered his next move. Dare he ask? Did it really matter? If it didn't, why did he begin his conversation in the first place.

Morbid curiosity.

Lucy settled her head in the crook of his neck, sighing comfortably. The two sat in silence for a minute as Hibiki wrestled with his mind. Their night has been lovely, did it really matter who she kissed in the past? Well, not really. It only mattered if...

"Was it Natsu?" He finally voiced the question.

"Hmm?"

"You've been here lots of times with Natsu, is he the one you kissed?" He asked clearly.

Lucy straightened up a bit, leaning her head back to look at her boyfriend as she repeated, "Kiss Natsu?"

"Yeah."

Lucy looked Hibiki directly in the eyes before bursting into laughter. After a moment she attempted to quell her howling, only for it to erupt again. Hibiki looked at her with an expression of shock. This wasn't quite the response he expected.

"No, not Natsu." The blonde wiped a tear from her eyes, "Gray."

"Gray?" Hibiki asked incredulously. Gray had been her friend for a long time, yes, but the two behaved far too much like brother and sister to have dated. He was so worried about the flirtatious playboy roommate, he didn't even consider that Gray could be his potential rival.

"Gray and I dated for a year in high school. We both had a crush on each other for the longest time, but in the end we just had no spark." Lucy explained. After so long she can understand why people might not see the two as a romantic item, "We always made a great team though. That's why we were able to remain such good friends. Looking back, I think we just got our wires crossed. We were teenagers after all, hormones messed with everything."

Hibiki pulled the blonde closer as a shiver moved through her body, caused either by the wind or the ghost of her past.

"I'm glad Gray was able to find Juvia." The girl admitted. "She suits him much better than I ever did. Sometimes I miss those good old days, though. We would come here a lot with Natsu and his girlfriend Lisanna."

"Lisanna?" Hibiki was most surprised by this news, his jealousy quelled for the moment. "That guy actually had an honest-to-god girlfriend?"

Lucy laughed through her nose, a sad smile forming on her lips as she laid her head back in the crook of her boyfriend's neck.

"Lisanna Strauss. She was his soulmate."

* * *

Natsu tossed his last crust back into the box it came from, taking another sip from the beer in opposite hand. Swiftly leaping from the kitchen island- where he contentedly watched his caretaker go on a bender- Happy sniffs around the pinkette sitting cross-legged on the floor with a pizza box full of crusts and a six pack full of empties as his only companions. The feline approaches the human carefully, placing his front paws softly on a muscular hamstring before leaning against the male's pectorals to sniff his breath.

"You know Happy? S-sometimes I like to think ther's nothin' I woulda change 'bout" - the student belches loudly- "my life. But other times," Natsu leans back, resting his head against the cold tile, "other times s-I'm layin' on de kitch'n floor talkin' to a cat. Yanno?"

The cat in question offers a vibrating mew in response as he hops off his owner's chest to examine the pile of crusts laying in their cardboard casket.

"You always-s know wat to say, buddy."

Happy let out a startled noise as Natsu rolled over, messily reaching out to hug his furry friend.

"Yer my bes stfriend." Natsu squeezed the animal to his chest, causing Happy to squawk loudly in protest as he attempted to escape.

"Doan leave meeeee~" Natsu tried to reason.

The sound of the door opening and closing distracted the pinkette enough for Happy to escape capture.

"Luce?"

Still lying on the floor, Natsu twisted his body around to face the entrance to his apartment on the other side of the island, but the person awaiting him was not the blonde he expected.

"Da fuck you here for?" He asked.

"Yukino kicked me out, and Rouge is abroad this semester. I needed a place to crash." Sting Eucliffe, Lucy's younger step-brother and once president of the Natsu Dragneel Fan Club, dropped a duffle bag to the floor, making his way to the fridge to grab himself a cold beer.

"Pass s'me one." Natsu requested.

Sting responded by taking a seat at the island, looking over Natsu's nest of pizza crust and beer bottles, "Dude, I think you had enough."

"Mmm." Natsu threw an arm over his face, his back now flat on the tile floor.

"Lucy said the place would probably be empty, that's why I used the spare key." Sting offered.

"You talked to 'er?" Natsu tried not to sound eager. He lifted his arm just enough to look for the blonde boy's response, his eyes squinting at the unwelcomed light that reflected off the younger male's lone ear piercing, "How wuhsshe?"

"Dude, that is so fucked up." Sting laughed. "Yeah, I talked to her. I texted her to ask if it was okay that I stay here. She was headed to Hibiki's place and said it would probably be empty here all night."

Natsu covered his face with both palms, pressing them deep into his skin as he let out a long defeated sigh.

"Dude, you are so pathetic." Sting chuckled, sipping on his beer.

"Hey," the chemistry major barked, "'m not the one whoose got kicked out'a ther apartment."

"Pathetic." Sting whispered in a sing-songy tone.

"Wha'd you do, anyway?" Natsu dropped his arms to his sides, eyes closed.

It was Sting's turn to sigh, scratching at the scar on his cheek before answering, "She's just upset because found out I used to have a crush on Minerva. Honestly, this whole thing is so dumb."

"'S'at all?"

"Well, with Rogue gone, Minerva has been hanging around me an awful lot. You know how she is, she comes across as a bitch so she doesn't make friends that easy. Yukino still doesn't trust her, even more so now that Yuki learned I was slightly attracted to Minerva when I first met her." Sting rubbed his eyes, tired after a long day. "Yukino said I should 'take a night to do some thinking.' She's such an idiot."

A pink brow quirked upward. Natsu would have never expected to hear that statement coming from Sting. Yukino was actually a very sweet girl, the last thing he would call her is an idiot.

"Can't she see that I love her more than anything?" The question was rhetorical, spoken lowly to the island counter, but Natsu still heard it. The lids of his eyes squeezed tighter, brow furrowing deeply as he tried not to think of all the ways that question could apply to him.

"By the way," Sting spoke louder, bring Natsu back from the deep. "I saw on Facebook that Lisanna got engaged."

"R'ugh."

* * *

"So you think Natsu sleeps around because he's still in love with Lisanna?" Hibiki asked. The couple was working their way up the various flights of stairs to the brunette student's apartment, all thanks to the lovely "Out of Order" sign on the elevator door. The two engaged in conversation as a way to make eight flights feel more like three.

"Right. I mean, Natsu had a crush on this girl his whole life. They dated for two years in high school and she breaks up with him before she moves halfway across the world to go to school. College starts up, he tries dating again, only to find that no one can compare to the girl he lost. Voila, he starts sleeping around to numb the pain of being alone." Lucy explains, slightly out of breath as she climbs flight number five.

"I see. It is an interesting theory." Hibiki replies, waiting for his girlfriend to reach the landing before starting on the next set of stairs.

"As hard as it can be to watch him treat girls that way, I just can't find it in me to try and change him. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had lost my soulmate like that." The blonde used Hibiki's offered hand to pull herself up to the landing, resting for a beat before starting to climb again.

"So, you really believe in this soulmate stuff?" The brunette asked, looking back at the girl as he set out on the next flight.

Lucy paused, her face contorted in thought before she resigned to follow. "I want to."

"You spoke so confidently about it just a minute ago."

"They grew up together, and liked each other since they were kids. She had been sent to a boarding school in grade six and their story almost ended too soon, but she came back when we were juniors and they finally got their chance after all that time. It was as if the fates had planned it from the start."

"I don't know, Lucy." Hibiki pulled her to the landing again, "You might have your head stuck in those books you're so fond of." The amateur historian smiled widely as he dodged her playful smack.

"Shut up! What's wrong with being a romantic?" Lucy protested.

"Nothing," He kissed her on the head, taking her hand in his to continue their journey. "I don't know about soulmates. I mean, what choice do we have if fate controls us? What about free will? I want to love someone because I chose them before anyone else, not because they were chosen for me."

"But don't you think the heart is too fickle to decide that on it's own?"

"You sound like you're justifying arranged marriage."

"What! No! I mean, just look at all the horrible people out there who toy with the hearts of others."

"You mean people like Natsu?" Hibiki argued.

Lucy fell speechless as she ended flight seven. Strong arms embraced her, a hand lifting her chin up to gain her focus.

"Enough about him." Hibiki whispered against her lips. "I just want to focus on you." His lips moved slightly rougher against hers before trailing over her cheek and jaw to focus on her neck. The blonde let go of all thought as she revelled in the sweet sensations his skin made against her body.

A small sigh of want left her when his teeth teased her earlobe with soft bites. Delicate fingers laced behind his neck as she leaned into him, surrendering herself. One hand traveled down her back, contouring to the shape of her ass before lifting a leg around his waist, the other following in suit. The brown-eyed man continued nipping at her neck as he carried this beautiful woman up the last set of stairs, down the hall, and into his apartment.

* * *

Lucy unlocked the door to her apartment, blissfully humming to herself a tune she picked up from the radio on the ride over from Hibiki's. The lightly sweet smell of fluffy pancakes greeted her instantly, welcoming her home. Closing the door behind her, the model tossed her keys and bag on the small table near the door before plopping herself down on the couch beside her younger brother and her roommate.

"Morning guys." She greeted cheerfully.

"Morning, Lucy." Sting chimed in, stuffing another forkful of pancake into his mouth and contently staring at the television screen.

"Mmmhn." Natsu contributed.

The girl turned to look at the pinkette, whose face was flush against a pillow, body slumped over the side of the couch. "You alright there, Natsu?"

"I'd be better if your idiot brother didn't feel the need to torture me with Chinese cartoons," he answered, voice muffled by the cotton-stuffed barrier.

"First of all," Sting began, "It's Japanese. Secondly, it's called anime. And third, One-Punch Man is AWESOME."

"Oh, is this the one you were talking about the other day where the superhero can kill any monster with one punch?" Lucy asked, stealing a strip of bacon from the younger blonde's plate. "Mm, this is good. Did you make this?"

"Of course. Like that idiot friend of yours could cook." Sting retorted.

"I don't understand why everyone has to talk so much." Natsu lifted his head from his pillow to rub his temples, his eyes still squeezed shut.

"Someone must have had fun last night. I'm actually surprised you're home so early." Lucy commented. "Or did your date kick you out as soon as she woke up and realized the mistake she made by sleeping with you again."

"So many words, Luce." The older boy complained.

Sting looked over at Natsu, waiting for him to correct his sister's assumptions. Natsu opened one eye to look at the younger male before speaking again, "Actually, the bar I met her at was taste-testing some new shots and I kinda went overboard."

The blue-eyed male snorted at the onyx-eyed man's lie.

"What's so funny, Mr. 'I got kicked out by my girlfriend'?" Lucy shot her brother a pointed glare. "What did you do, anyway?"

"Nothing!" Sting protested. "It's just a dumb misunderstanding."

"Can we all shut up now?" Natsu interjected.

"Fine," Lucy conceded. "I was gonna go take a shower anyway. Got lots of homework on the agenda today." The lit major stood to her feet, fixing a wrinkle in her shirt before making her way down the hall and to the bathroom.

"Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Sting pulled the pillow away from Natsu, gaining his attention.

"I don't know where to start."

* * *

 **A/N:** First of all, thank you all so much for the amazing response to this story! One chapter posted and I received 20 reviews and nearly 100 followers. I was seriously blown away. I hope you are all as happy with the second chapter. I do have to say that the majority of the reviews threw me for a curve. I had to re-evaluate the arc of this story and that's why it took so long to get this out.

Please let me know any and all of your thoughts and feelings, and please follow me on tumblr for periodic previews: fair-ophelia.


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